CLEVELAND – Jay Payton came to work yesterday morning, looked at a lineup that didn’t have his name in it and shook his head slowly, saying a word resembling “Darn.”

A few minutes later, as Payton began preparing for his seventh day on the bench in the last nine games, he was asked whether he thought he’d be starting against Cleveland righty Ryan Drese. After all, Payton had gone 2-for-4 on Saturday night, coming through with a single during a seventh-inning rally.

“I’m not talking about playing time, at the risk of saying something I’ll regret,” said Payton, who did not play in the Mets’ 8-3 loss yesterday.

Make no mistake, though: the outfielder wasn’t skipping around the clubhouse with the thought of another day on the pine.

As Payton’s playing time has been whittled down to a platoon role, his frustration level has risen. After earning the center field job out of spring training, Payton slumped in April and lost his hold as Timo Perez came alive.

Now Perez (.323, 12 doubles in 124 at-bats) is one of the team’s hottest hitters and playing nearly everyday against righties. He went 1-for-4 with a solo homer yesterday.

“Just because Timo’s playing so well, you can’t keep Jay sitting and watching,” Bobby Valentine said Saturday before Payton’s second start in eight games. “You’ve got to keep him as sharp as possible.”

Valentine doesn’t characterize the situation as a platoon, but Payton hasn’t started against a righty since May 28.

One Met official believes Perez probably should be playing everyday. Another isn’t crying any tears for Payton, either.

The second official said Payton lost his playing time because he didn’t produce, “and now he has to fight his way back in there.”

Payton is hitting .251 with 22 runs and 10 extra-base hits in 171 at-bats. The Mets are 20-19 when he starts in center, and 10-12 with Perez there. The Mets face three righties against the White Sox, so it will be interesting to see if Payton gets a start.